


Worth Praying To

by FiKate



Category: 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Greek and Roman Mythology, Milliways
Genre: Community: milliways_bar, F/M, Prayer, Responsibility, Weather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-20
Updated: 2012-05-20
Packaged: 2017-11-05 16:17:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/408453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiKate/pseuds/FiKate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's been a drought and Ben ends up seeing a pray for rain fulfilled.<br/>Written as a gift for <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/sardonicynic/profile">sardonicynic</a> who requested something Demeter and Bencentric with the phrase <i>the lies of heroes.</i> The Evans' family is mentioned but not present.</p><p>  <i>It didn’t feel right to speak, the air around them felt empty but as they passed, Ben could almost swear he tasted rain.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Praying To

Ben felt like he’d been breathing dust for days and wondered if he’d end up with a cough as bad as Dan’s boy. The drought didn’t look like it’d be letting up any time soon and that meant he was spending more time in Milliways as there wasn’t much cause for him to be riding out if he didn’t have to.

As Demeter sat down, he raised his mint julep to her and smiled, “You look like a proper summer should, Miss Demeter.”

She laughed and he felt refreshed in a way beyond what was in his drink and said, “It’s good to see you though you look dry. Is there trouble in your land?”

“Now, you know I’m not the sort to own land,” His voice twisted on the truth as he’s seen how the drought has been making William Evans drawn and tired like his father was before him. He’d seen Dan drinking and heard the tapping of his leg every time William comes in but William hasn’t asked for help, Ben’d be surprised if he did.

Demeter’s cool hand on his stirs him from his thoughts as she says quietly, “What can I do?”

“Can you make it rain?”

She went silent then answered in a voice rich with power, “I can wet and heal the land. Show me.”

He’d meant to stop and finish his drink but he didn’t want to resist the pull of her and he stood up, taking her hand and leading her out the door. Gabriel waited and Demeter sat beside him as they cut across the dry land towards the far edge of the Evans’ land. It didn’t feel right to speak, the air around them felt empty but as they passed, Ben could almost swear he tasted rain.

When they arrived at the right place, she dismounted and pulled him to stand beside her as she knelt, her hands and feet holding the dry dirt. There wasn’t a prayer he knew that would sound right, but Ben knew he was meant to do something, he’d asked and gods should be honored. Though he’d never expected a god who made love with joy and left summer behind her and began to recite from the Psalms, “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.”

Demeter laughed and the promise of rain became truth as the ground seemed to breathe as the skies slowly darkened. In the lightly falling rain, he found it hard to see Demeter, she was a thing of green and life before kissing him and whispering, “I won’t tell.”

“Tell what?”

“That you prayed for another, my cowboy hero. Now come with me before I get too much mud on your nice suit.”

“You can get all the mud you want on me, darlin’,” He held her close as her dress outlined her body and he knew, he was just keeping his word, it didn’t help him any if folks were poor. Though in the newly falling rain with a goddess in his arms, it felt like being her kind of hero woudn’t be too bad a thing.


End file.
